The invention relates to a vehicle roof, in particular for motor vehicles, where a rigid roof skin is provided, there being an inner shell of plastic material foamed onto an inner surface thereof. The roof liner is connection with the inner shell.
The preferred field of application of the invention is vehicle roof modules which are made separately from the vehicle bodywork and only connected with the vehicle bodywork on the assembly line at the automobile factory. Such vehicle roof modules are becoming increasingly popular in particular owing to a considerable reduction in assembly times on the assembly line. If such vehicle roof modules are provided with an integral sunroof unit, separate manufacture opens up the advantageous possibility of checking functioning of the pre-assembled sunroof unit before the roof module is connected with the bodywork.
With a known vehicle roof of this type (DE 197 09 016 A1), the roof liner is either an inseparable component of the inner shell foamed onto the roof skin, if no sunroof unit is provided, or it is attached to the sunroof frame, if a sunroof unit is provided. In any case, no provision is made in either embodiment for the roof liner to be replaceable, as may however be desirable for various reasons. For instance, the roof liner could be made to match different interior vehicle trim, without different complete roof modules having to be held in stock. It may also be desirable to replace a damaged or soiled roof liner, without having to remove the complete roof module for the purpose.
According to one proposal, not a prior publication, for such a vehicle roof (DE 199 47 238.6), the roof liner preformed from foamed plastic material as a separate component is provided on its upper side with catch elements, which are locked together releasably with complementary, precisely fitting catch elements attached to the inner shell. According to this proposal, if the vehicle roof is provided with a sunroof unit, the roof liner is provided on its upper side with catch elements, which are locked together releasably with complementary, precisely fitting catch elements attached to the sunroof frame. Connection together by catch allows damage-free removal of the respective roof liner by release of the catch connection. In this way, not only is it possible to replace the roof liner, but the roof module may also initially be handled without roof liner, which simplifies the attachment thereof to the vehicle bodywork. A roof liner matching the interior trim of the vehicle in the decorative design of its lower surface may then be mounted on the roof module.
The object of the invention is to provide a roof liner for a vehicle roof with or without sunroof unit which may be mounted and replaced in another manner.
The term xe2x80x9csunroofxe2x80x9d, used here alone or in phrases, is intended, for the purposes of the present invention, to cover not only designs in which the cover may be slid under the fixed rear roof surface to uncover the roof opening after lowering of its rear edge but also slide and lift sunroofs, in which the cover may additionally be tilted from its closed position about a tilt axis provided in the vicinity of its front edge so as to project above the fixed roof surface. Front-hinged covers which open out in the manner of ventilation shutters and sliding sunroofs in which the cover may be slid partially over the rear fixed roof surface to uncover the roof opening after lifting of its rear edge are also included. The same also applies to multi-cover roof designs. In principle, it applies to all designs, in which a sunroof frame attached beneath the fixed roof surface is present.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle roof, in particular for a motor vehicle, the vehicle roof having a rigid roof skin defining an inner surface and an inner shell of plastic material foamed onto the inner surface thereof, there being a roof liner connected with the inner shell, wherein the roof liner is preformed from foamed plastic material as a separate component and has an upper side that is provided on its upper side with rail-like first guide elements comprising undercut sliding surfaces, with which first guide elements there are associated complementarily constructed rail-like second guide elements on the inner shell, likewise comprising undercut sliding surfaces, and wherein, to attach the roof liner to the inner shell, the first guide elements are slid in parallel onto the second guide elements, with their respective undercut sliding surfaces in engagement, as far as a defined relative position of inner shell and roof liner.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle roof, in particular for a motor vehicle, the vehicle roof having a rigid roof skin and a sunroof frame of a sunroof unit that is firmly connected with the roof skin, there being a roof liner connected with the sunroof frame, wherein the roof liner is preformed from foamed plastic material as a separate component and has an upper side that is provided on its upper side with rail-like first guide elements comprising undercut sliding surfaces, with which first guide elements there are associated complementarily constructed rail-like second guide elements on the sunroof frame, likewise comprising undercut sliding surfaces, and wherein, to attach the roof liner to the sunroof frame, the first guide elements are slid in parallel onto the second guide elements, with their respective undercut sliding surfaces in engagement, as far as a defined relative position of sunroof frame and roof liner.
Common to the two configurations defined above is the fact that the respective roof liner is provided on its upper side with rail-like first guide elements, which comprise undercut sliding surfaces. Associated in complementary manner with these first guide elements are rail-like second guide elements, which likewise comprise undercut sliding surfaces. In the case of the vehicle roof in accordance with the first aspect of the invention, the two guide elements are arranged on the inner shell, while in the case of the vehicle roof according to the second aspect of the invention, the second guide elements are provided on the sunroof frame. Also common to both configurations is the fact that, to attach the roof liner to the inner shell or the sunroof frame respectively, the first guide elements are slid in parallel onto the second guide elements, with their respective undercut sliding surfaces in engagement, as far as a defined relative position of inner shell or sunroof frame and roof liner. By sliding in the opposite direction, the roof liner may be detached again in equally simple manner.
The rail-like first guide elements each project upwards out of the roof liner and the second guide elements each project downwards out of the inner shell or the sunroof frame respectively and take the form of short profile portions. These are provided in pairs at each of their attachment locations, that is to say not only the first guide elements relative to one another and the second guide elements relative to one another but also the first relative to the second guide elements, i.e. the first guide elements and the second guide elements in each case form pairs at each attachment location, while each pair of first guide elements at the attachment location in question also forms a pair with the associated pair of second guide elements.
The rail-like first guide elements and the rail-like second guide elements preferably each take the form of angular profile portions, wherein the arms parallel to the roof liner of the first guide elements point in opposite directions, while the arms parallel to the inner shell or sunroof frame of the second guide elements point towards one another. In this way, the guide elements come into form-fitting engagement when the first guide elements are slid onto the second guide elements during roof liner mounting, in which form-fitting engagement the undercut sliding surfaces lie flat against one another. Comparable form-fitting engagement between the first and second guide elements may also be achieved if the respective undercut sliding surfaces engage together in the manner of a dove-tail joint.
In a first embodiment of the invention, the first and second guide elements are arranged parallel to one another in pairs at each attachment location and parallel to one another at all the attachment locations. Thus, all the guide elements are oriented parallel to one another, which orientation corresponds to the sliding-on direction during roof liner mounting or the sliding-off direction during removal of the roof liner. In order to achieve precise positional fixing between the roof liner and the inner shell or the sunroof frame, limit stops may be attached to the first or second guide elements, which limit the sliding-on distance.
A second embodiment of the invention, provides that the first and second guide elements be arranged at each attachment location so as to converge congruently in pairs in the direction of cover displacement with regard to the associated surfaces, i.e. the guide elements form equal angles in the manner of arrows at each pair of first guide elements and at each pair of second guide elements. When the roof liner is attached, the displacement path thereof is limited in the desired relative position between the roof liner and the inner shell or the sunroof frame by meeting of the associated surfaces.
The first guide elements are advantageously formed from the foamed plastic material of the roof liner itself and the second guide elements are formed from the foamed plastic material of the inner shell itself and are thus in each case in one piece. If the vehicle roof is provided with a sunroof unit, the arrangement may be such that the first guide elements are formed from the foamed plastic material of the roof liner itself and thus in one piece, while the second guide elements take the form of profile portions of the sunroof frame or are attached as separate components thereto.
Alternatively, the construction may also be such that the first guide elements and/or the second guide elements are attached to the inner shell as initially separate profile portions by foam-embedding in the plastic material of the roof liner and/or in the plastic material of the inner shell.